The World Bank Group announced on Tuesday, 20 October, in Seoul an initiative designed to make it easier for governments of emerging countries to access the computing capacity needed for artificial intelligence, with an initial priority on Africa and Latin America.
The mechanism provides for shared graphics processing unit (GPU) infrastructure, billed on usage. This equipment is used to develop and run AI applications. The World Bank presents this model as an alternative to building isolated national data centres.
Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA are among the expertise partners cited by the institution. The initiative is intended to support tools adapted to specific tasks, such as detecting crop diseases, supporting health workers or managing company inventories.
It accompanies the group's first digital strategy, launched the same day. This combines extending networks, more affordable equipment and data, digital services and training. Personal data protection, cybersecurity and fraud prevention are among the safeguards announced for the entire scheme.